PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

Posted on June 12, 2017 by thoughtsmjdisler

“[Jesus] was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he gave them this reply: “The kingdom of God never comes by watching for it. Men cannot say, ‘Look, here it is’, or ‘there it is’, for the kingdom of God is inside you.”

 – Luke 17:20-21
J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English, Revised Edition, 1972.

“The real test of faith comes in times of trouble and periods of discouragement. If we say that we believe in God, and then worry, doubt, fear, and return to our selfish life, we do not yet possess the omnipresent Comforter. To act as though we really believed that God is in His world, in our souls, concerned in our daily experiences, ready to strengthen us in any need whatsoever–this is a genuine test of faith. To lift our thoughts to Him habitually, not periodically, as if we really expected help, instead of asking for the impossible–this is genuine prayer.”

“There are earnest souls who make this practical realisation of the immanence of God the basis of a system of every-day conduct, the basis of solution of all practical problems. … I advocate that interpretation of life which places the responsibility largely upon ourselves; which teaches us not to lean on systems of thought and on people whom we permit to do our thinking for us, but encourages us to look within to find the ever-present resource.”

“…it is no small attainment to learn how to live in the present. It is a good rule to follow throughout the day, not simply during one’s half-hour of silent seclusion. The silent time is needed largely as a preparation for the remainder of the day. Put yourself into the present, make a fresh start…”

– Horatio W. Dresser, “The Immanent God,” The Power of Silence:
A Study of the Values and Ideals of the Inner Life, 2nd edition, 1905.

Rejoice evermore.
Pray without ceasing.
In every thing give thanks:
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Quench not the Spirit.

 – I Thessalonians 5:16–19

 

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I AM PEACE

Posted on June 4, 2017 by thoughtsmjdisler

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

 – Philippians 4:7

“The conqueror [he who overcomes] – I will make him a pillar in the sanctuary of My God, and he shall never be put out of it; and I will write upon him the name of My God [“I AM”], and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem [“PEACE”], which will descend out of heaven from My God, as well as My own new Name.”

 – Revelation 3:12
Ferrar Fenton, The New Testament in Modern English, Fourth Edition, 1906.

I am peace.

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TRIBUTE for MEMORIAL DAY, 2017

Posted on May 28, 2017 by thoughtsmjdisler

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:13
———-
Psalm 91 is treasured by many who serve.
Portions are offered here as a tribute to all, past and present.

1. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of    the Almighty.
2. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

11. He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

14. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him:
I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
15. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him:
I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.
16. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

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“OUR”

Posted on May 21, 2017 by thoughtsmjdisler

This post begins a series of thoughts regarding the Lord’s Prayer as an affirmation. They will be posted occasionally, gathered in the category “Lord’s Prayer.”

THOUGHTS

I love the first word of the Lord’s Prayer. Pause and relish it’s implications before continuing. God is guiding all of your concerns involving other people. He is guiding them as well as you, regardless of their personal spiritual views – or lack of them.

The word given to us is “our,” not “my.” We will be guided in our response when there are extreme differences of viewpoint. We will be guided in how far to pursue an activity and when–or whether– to let it go.

SCRIPTURE

“The Lord,
He it is that doth go before thee
He will be with thee;
He will not fail thee,
neither forsake thee:
fear not, neither be dismayed”
– Deuteronomy 31:8

AFFIRMATION:

O Source and Nurturer of all the world,

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MEDITATION the PATH to VISION

Posted on May 16, 2017 by thoughtsmjdisler

“There is but one way to gain and keep for one’s own the beautiful vision of God which we have been contemplating with its results in the outer life; it is a way as old as mankind, that of meditation. Only in silence and solitude, where the sights and sounds of earth are not for the moment obtruding, can we find God; having found, we can then go forth in power–Sons of God.

“There are two parts to the spiritual life, intake and outgo…”

“Let us not be narrow in our ideas of what helps us to begin our work of getting away from the outward and visible and temporal things, toward the Life of the Spirit. This will at first seem dim and pale and ethereal beside the robust facts of the outward world, but it soon begins to glow and strengthen as we cultivate it, till it becomes as warm and interesting as the outer life. Some people are helped in one way and some in another.”

“To find God requires both warmth of feeling and strength of mind.”

Edith Armstrong Talbot, Lessons in Meditation, 1921

Talbot was the daughter of Samuel Chapman Armstrong (1839-1893),
a commander of regiments in the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War,
founder of Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (later Hampton University).

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GOD is ALWAYS GOD

Posted on May 12, 2017 by thoughtsmjdisler

“God is always God. No matter what our emotional storm, or what our objective situation may be, there is always a something hidden in the inner being that has never been violated. We may stumble, but always there is that Eternal Voice, forever whispering within our ear, that thing which causes the eternal quest, that thing which forever sings and sings.”

– Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind, 1938, 1966

“For though the mountains should depart,
and the hills be shaken or removed,
yet My love and kindness shall not depart from you,
nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed,
says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.”
Isaiah 54:10

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AFFIRMATIONS of TRUTH and POWER

Posted on May 7, 2017 by thoughtsmjdisler

“When we see a divine truth we should grasp it with all the tenacity of the mind and by positive affirmation incorporate it into the structure of our thought so that it becomes part of our mental organization.
Affirmations of truth create faith in the power of truth. They fill negative brain cells full of the energy of positive thought. There is character and strength in affirmations. Through their persistent use the latent life and perfection of the soul may be woven into a thought structure of great beauty of character, which will gradually become manifest in the flesh.

“Now that we have seen His saving grace let us shout it to the skies and proclaim in every quarter the goodness and power of our God. Thus will knowledge of His truth and power increase in the world.”

– Walter DeVoe, Mystic Words of Mighty Power, 1905.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report;
if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,
think on these things.”

– Philippians 4:8

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LOVE DIVINE, COMFORTER

Posted on May 2, 2017 by thoughtsmjdisler

1. Come down, O Love divine
Seek thou this soul of mine,
And visit it with thine own ardor glowing;
O Comforter, draw near,
Within my heart appear,
And Kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.

4. And so the yearning strong,
With which the soul will long,
Shall far outpass the power of human telling;
For none can guess its grace
Till he become the place
Wherein the Holy Spirit makes his dwelling.

– verses 1 & 4 of the poem by Bianco da Siena, d.1434
– English translation by Richard Frederick Littledale, 1833-1890
– frequently sung to the hymn tune Down Ampney by R. Vaughan Williams, 1872 – 1958

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PRAYER – COMPLETION

Posted on April 26, 2017 by thoughtsmjdisler

“Praying is a life-creative method that has its own essential evidence in the act itself.
… It is a double-sided operation, due to an attractive drawing power at work above us and at the same time to a homing tendency in us. … We natively reach out beyond our fragmentary self for completion, and we aspire to find springs and sources of life of a wholly different order from our daily food and drink for the body.

That is, I think, where prayer begins. It is born of our need for spiritual fellowship. … In our best moments of hush and quiet, especially in those high-tide occasions when many human hearts together are fused in silent communion, there often is a palpitating sense of divine presence, an overbrimming consciousness of healing, vivifying currents of life circulating underneath our little lives, and we are filled with joy and wonder. That is the very substance and essence of prayer …

All great prayer is born out of intense earnestness and out of a consciousness that only God through us as a feeble organ of His will, can accomplish what we seek and what we need.”

– Rufus Jones, Pathways to the Reality of God, 1931

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PRAYER, GOD’S WILLINGNESS

Posted on April 21, 2017 by thoughtsmjdisler

“Our idea of prayer changes as our idea of God changes.”

“Prayer is not an act of overcoming God’s reluctance, but should be an active acceptance of His highest willingness.”

“Prayer is its own answer. Before our prayer is framed in words the possibility of its answer already exists.”

 – Ernest Holmes, Science of Mind, 1938

“Seek for, first of all, His kingdom, and His righteousness…”
Matthew 6:33a

“I sought for the Lord, and required Him, and he heard me,
and delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 34:4

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